Founding Sales & GTM Lead (0 1 | SaaS / FoodTech)

Company: Orkeneo AI Labs

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Experience: 1–7 Years

Employment Type: Early-stage Startup / Equity-Based Engagement

Department: Sales & Business Development

About Orkeneo AI Labs

Orkeneo AI Labs is building an AI-powered decision intelligence platform for the restaurant industry. Our platform helps restaurants improve demand forecasting, inventory planning, procurement, and profitability through AI-driven insights.

We are looking for a proactive, entrepreneurial Founding Sales & GTM Lead to work directly with the founding team and drive customer acquisition, pilot onboarding, and go-to-market execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and acquire restaurant customers, including QSRs, cloud kitchens, restaurant chains, and multi-outlet brands.
• Conduct cold calls, direct outreach, field visits, and in-person meetings with restaurant owners and decision-makers.
• Schedule and deliver product demonstrations to prospective customers.
• Convert prospects into pilot customers and help transition successful pilots into paid customers.
• Build and maintain a structured sales pipeline, CRM records, and follow-up processes.
• Gather customer feedback, identify pain points, and communicate insights to the product team.
• Develop and execute customer acquisition strategies for the Mumbai market.
• Explore partnership opportunities with POS providers and other restaurant technology companies.
• Track sales activities, conversion rates, customer acquisition, and other agreed performance metrics.
• Help establish a repeatable sales process that can scale across locations and restaurant segments.

Requirements

• 1–5 years of experience in sales, business development, field sales, or customer acquisition.
• Strong communication, negotiation, networking, and follow-up skills.
• Comfortable with cold calling, direct outreach, and regular in-person restaurant visits.
• Ability to independently identify prospects, generate leads, and move opportunities through the sales pipeline.
• A self-driven mindset with the ability to work in a fast-paced, early-stage startup environment.
• Willingness to take ownership of outcomes rather than focus only on planning and strategy.
• Based in Mumbai or willing to travel regularly across Mumbai for customer meetings.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in FoodTech, restaurant technology, hospitality, POS systems, B2B SaaS, QSRs, or cloud kitchens.
• Existing relationships with restaurant owners, operators, or decision-makers.
• Experience acquiring B2B customers and closing deals independently.

Compensation & Engagement

• Initial engagement: Equity/ESOP-based arrangement for approximately the first 2–3 months, with no fixed salary during this period.
• Travel reimbursement: Approved business travel expenses will be reimbursed according to the agreed policy.
• Performance incentives: Sales commissions or revenue-linked incentives may be considered against mutually agreed milestones and written terms.
• Future salary: Paid compensation may be introduced earlier if funding or sufficient revenue allows, subject to the company's financial position and mutually agreed terms. There is no guaranteed salary-transition date.
• Long-term growth: Opportunities to take on greater leadership responsibilities may arise based on sustained performance, business needs, and mutual fit. Any additional equity or expanded role will be subject to formal approval and written terms.

This opportunity is best suited to someone who understands the realities of an early-stage startup and is comfortable building a sales function from the ground up under the stated engagement terms.

Performance Expectations

The selected candidate will work with the founding team to establish measurable goals, including:

• Qualified restaurant prospects and meetings generated.
• Product demos and pilot opportunities initiated.
• Restaurant onboarding and pilot progress.
• Customer conversions and revenue contribution.
• Development of a repeatable sales pipeline and process.

Specific targets and milestones will be mutually agreed upon at the start of the engagement.

Long-Term Growth Opportunity

This role offers the opportunity to grow with Orkeneo as we scale. Based on sustained performance, leadership, and business needs, the role may evolve into Head of Sales, VP of Sales, or potentially a Co-Founder position, subject to mutual agreement and formal terms. These are potential growth paths, not guaranteed promotions or appointments.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their resume and complete the application form provided by Orkeneo AI Labs.

Applicants should be prepared to explain their direct sales experience, personal contribution to customer acquisition, and approach to acquiring their first 20 restaurant prospects in Mumbai.